Kingdom of Bruhinn
The Kingdom of Bruhinn is a peaceful, powerful kingdom on the far western edge of the Green Cradle. It is bounded by the Shivering Peaks to the west, the High Diamond Pass to the Holy Thlos to the north, the Chesny province of the former Jeceau Empire across the Snowsong River to the northeast, the haunted forest of Treth to the east, and Tazitan territory to the south. Bruhinn is the home of the story's main character, Mikoa Lothaen, and the setting for most of Book 1. The word for a person from Bruhinn is "Bruhinnen." It is both a noun and an adjective. "That Bruhinnen needs a horse." / "That Bruhinnen woman has a horse." In Feldhasel Common, the word Bruhinn is pronounced "brew-HEEN." It is believed to derive from the word "bruin," which is a type of brown bear that was once common to the provinces of Thraehir and Glossen. The flag of Glossen features a brown bear. In esoteric lore, Bruhinn is sometimes called "first of the thousand-year kingdoms." Sovereignty By edict of the Thlossian Conclave, the Kingdom of Bruhinn is sovereign domain of the Lothaen royal family, headed by the widower King Beauregaerd III. The seat of power is the fortress of Thraehir. Provinces and Political Divisions Like other Thlossian kingdoms, Bruhinn is divided into provinces, each province governed by a powerful family. In Bruhinnen culture, these families are called "royal" families -- even though they are not directly related to the ruling Lothaen family. * Thraehir: Central-western. Seat of House Ulrum and House Theraen. * Glossen: Central-eastern. Seat of House Lothaen. * Windlands: Northeastern. Seat of House Numiren. * Willowdown: Southern. No royal house. * Downriver: Southeastern. Seat of House Artos. * Gwaen: Northern. Seat of House Rufelle. * Thlenrych: Central-northern. Seat of House Erenifelle. * Welshire: Eastern. Seat of House Carbrady. One more royal family exists, but is not yet referenced by name or province. The only significant rivals to the Lothaen family are the Ulrum and Numiren families. Lord Edellion Ulrum covets Beauregaerd's royal throne in Thraehir. Lady Tilsa Numiren seems primarily interested in reestablishing the ancient Kingdom of Nylsia as an independent sovereignty in the present-day Windlands. Ruling Family * King Beauregaerd III (Lothaen) * Queen Callandra (Pelltober) - wife of Beauregaerd - deceased ** Princess Mikoa Callandra Lothaen, Preeminent - eldest daughter of Beauregaerd ** Prince Grumdar Brandehedron Lothaen - son of Beauregaerd * Prince Garrimon Lyr Lothaen - brother of Beauregaerd ** Pennibelle Lothaen-Carbrady of the Noressen, Duchess of Welshire - wife of Garrimon Geography and Climate Bruhinn is a diverse landscape, generally known for its ruggedness and peaceful wilderness. Rough foothills of the Shivering Peaks reach deep into the Kingdom from the west. From beyond the Kingdom's borders, frigid mountain rivers spill southeast into Gwaen and Thraehir, then widen, warm, and twist their way south through hot and humid Willowdown and Downriver. The eastern reaches of the Kingdom have thick green forests, slashed by rivers running south from the Windlands. The Windlands, in turn, are characterized by low, rolling hills and long stretches of empty plains. Summers are mild. Winter brings snow to all of Bruhinn, except for Willowdown and Downriver. The high-altitude northernmost province of Gwaen is known for its harsh, difficult winter. Culture The people of Bruhinn are devout followers of the Thlossian Faith, adhering to some of the oldest and most conservative edicts of the Conclave. They value hard work, self-reliance, and stubbornness in the face of adversity. God-worship is considered crass and foolish. Magic is taboo and deeply feared. Regional loyalties and rivalries run deep -- southerners look down on northerners and vice versa. Some parts of the Kingdom are remote, isolated, and backward. Compared to other Thlossian kingdoms, Bruhinn sits in a "pocket" -- mountains to the west, nomad Tazitan to the south, and the haunted forest of Treth to the east. Thus, north Bruhinn (near the Jeceau border) tends to be more sophisticated, with better merchant and guild infrastructure, bigger cities, and more noble patronage of the arts. South Bruhinn tends toward isolated pockets of subsistence villages who mostly govern themselves, defend themselves, and are self-sufficient. Alcohol and tobacco are universally popular throughout Bruhinn. Every corner of the Kingdom takes pride in its local liquor. Serberra wine, from Willowdown, is world famous. The army of Bruhinn is a small professional army. Soldiers are well-respected. They serve for life and are cared for when health prevents them from serving any longer. People Compared to other Thlossians of the Green Cradle, Bruhinnen are known for their ruggedness, fortitude, and restrained emotion. They are typically shorter and heavier than average. Brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin are nearly universal -- the only exceptions are the rare blonde, blue-eyed descendants of Norst conquerors. All Bruhinnen speak Feldhasel Common. The Bruhinn accent is similar to the Thlossian accent, with a "muddy" or "cotton-mouthed" lack of pronunciation. The ancient Bruhinnen language, which is now dead, derived directly from Thlossian and was thick with "th", "sh", and "ff" sounds. Hence, so many Bruhinnen names contain those sounds. (Lothaen, Theraen, Thraehir, Thlenrych, Rufelle, Erenifelle, Lothglothlyn, etc.) Names like Numiren and Carbrady evince more modern origin and foreign influence. History The Kingdom of Bruhinn predates the Myriad by an unknown number of generations, making it one of the oldest kingdoms in Landfall. Before the Myriad, the Kingdom was limited to present-day Thraehir and Glossen, bordered to the northeast by the powerful Kingdom of Nylsia. Although most records have since been destroyed, Bruhinn clearly embraced wizrada during the Myriad -- just like every other kingdom of man-kin. Woe-infested ruins are scattered throughout the Kingdom, especially in Glossen, and haunted artifacts regularly turn up in Bruhinnen markets. Woespawn appear every few years, especially in the Windlands (formerly Nylsia) -- the main reason Bruhinn keeps a professional army. Verilaine the Fae was Queen of Bruhinn during the Myriad. She is remembered as an eccentric and was probably a ziraduun. After the Myriad, Bruhinn slipped into a dark age of famine and war, just like every other kingdom of man-kin. Bruhinn recovered earlier than most others, slowly conquering its neighbors over many generations. Bruhinn was the last kingdom to fall to Neitsches the Conqueror during the Norst Conquest. Rather than endure a lengthy war, Bruhinn surrendered early on favorable terms. Bruhinn accepted the Norst homogenizing measures, such as the adoption of Feldhasel Common as the language of trade. To cement Norst rule, Neitsches left his youngest son to marry into the Lothaen family. This branch of the Lothaen family eventually became a cadet branch, outside the direct line of succession, and took the title "of the Noressen." Pennibelle Carbrady of the Noressen is a distant descendant of that line. Like every other kingdom conquered by Neitsches, Bruhinn immediately reestablished its independence after his death. At the beginning of Book 1, the Jeceau Civil War has placed extreme pressure on Bruhinn. Starving Jeceau refugees surge across the Snowsong River into Cloudport and other parts of northeast Bruhinn. King Beauregaerd's strategy to deal with the problem has been to "wait and see" and to avoid involvement in the war. The situation in the Windlands is dire and verging on chaos, but has not erupted yet. Spoilers! After the events of Book 1, the Kingdom of Bruhinn collapses and becomes a vast woespawn called Snow Anchor. The Kingdom does not begin to reform until the third trilogy, Books 7, 8, and 9.